It’s
May, which means another gravy train has pulled in to Marvel Station. Out of all the active franchises currently
running within the now sprawling Marvel CU, Guardians
has consistently billed itself as being the strangest and most eclectic of them
all, the wacky adventures of an ensemble cast of previously-unknown Marvel
properties. The first film was a box
office and critical hit, setting itself apart as easily the funniest, most
colorful, and most joyful comic book film out of….well, pretty much all of
them, so far. With that sort of
surprise-hit magic behind it, it would be all too easy to imagine the sequel
getting too big for its britches and being unable to match expectations.

Thankfully,
James Gunn knows what he’s doing; Guardians
of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 is not only every bit as great as the first one, it
might even be better. It’s funny, it’s joyful, it’s over-the-top in
every way I wanted it to be, and it’s so, so colorful. Let the Wild Summer Blockbuster Rumpus
begin!

After
saving the galaxy from the boringness of Ronan the Accuser, the Guardians have
taken to hiring themselves out to paying clients for various odd jobs. When we find them, they are in the midst of
protecting crucial energy plants belonging to a snobby, genetically-controlled
race called the Sovereign. This opening
sets the whole tone for the entire movie- although everyone else is in the
midst of a desperate battle against huge octopus-like behemoths, we don’t see
much of it. For most of it, the camera
is focused squarely on Baby Groot (later proclaimed by one character to be “too
cute to smash”), dancing joyously to ELO’s “Mr. Blue Sky” around the edges of
the fighting. The message is clear;
yeah, this is a tentpole studio action movie, but we’re here to laugh and feel
good first and foremost, and if the expensive CGI laser shows have to take a
back stage to that, so be it.

Said
Sovereign soon being pursuing the Guardians with intent to destroy after
learning that Rocket pocketed pieces of their machines on the way out. This opens one of a few rifts between the
characters that define the story. Like
with the main Avengers films, these
are movies about the Importance of Family and Friendship, no matter how oddball
your family may be. Rocket has a habit
of deliberately stealing from/offending everyone he meets and driving them away,
Gamora has unresolved business with her foster sister Nebula over their mutual,
tortured childhood under Thanos, and Drax (still my favorite character)
continues to find ways to make already bizarre situations even more awkward for
all involved.

To
top all this off, Quill is thrown for a huge emotional loop when his absentee
father appears, a seemingly supernatural being named Ego (played by a fantastic
Kurt Russell), offering him the chance of a normal family relationship he never
had. Yondu and that wonderful arrow of
his, head of a scrappy Ravagers crew, returns as well, and through his appearance
in the plot we learn a lot more about the seemingly very intricate rules that
govern Ravenger life. The interactions between
him and the other Ravager captains (including a surprise cameo by Sylvester
Stallone) reminded me of the more interesting bits of world-building in the
Pirates franchise.

All
these different side stories, variations on themes of strained family dynamics,
eventually combine in the grand finale on Ego’s home planet, an affair that,
although once again featuring a threat to all existence, still finds ways to be
far more interesting, unique, and funny than that of most other comic book
fair. This more than anything helps the
movie rise above its competition, because repetitive sameness in most exploding
climaxes has been one of the consistent bugbears of the superhero/comicbook
franchise, with only a few really managing to stick out. In this regard, both Guardians movies have been pleasingly successful.

The key here is that Guardians never loses its sense of fun,
which, crucially, makes the few genuinely tragic or serious or hard scenes feel
more unique and earned. This is an
ensemble show about characters broken in very real and relatable ways, but it’s
raised to greatness by the perfection of its casting and the tightness of its
writing. I’m being deliberately vague about
the major thrusts of the plot, because it has a lot of various “twists” that,
while not unpredictable, are better appreciated in the moment. For all the fun the movie has with itself,
there are plenty of thought-provoking avenues it opens up for discussion
afterwards, and I recommend seeing it cold.

Anyone
who is tired of screens overflowing with CGI creations will not be converted by
this one- so many scenes are bursting with special effects that this might be
one of the biggest bendings of the line between live-action and animation since
Avatar. But I never minded, because all the
outlandish visuals and garish colors felt of a piece. This is a movie that yearns for exuberant
excess in all forms. Because this is
exactly what I wanted, I was well-pleased, but anyone who doesn’t will likely not
have as much fun as I did.

For
my money, this and the Captain America
franchises represent, for now, the best of this current wave of superhero
films, and I am glad another entry is here. Rock on Baby/Teenage Groot. ‘Til next time.